Windsurfing vs Kiting

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Created by

StormHI > 9 months ago, 7 Mar 2015

waveslave

4263 posts

12 Mar 2015 9:08am

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Al Planet said..I
I don't really want to argue definitions but when I see videos of guys kiting in the snow my first thought is not that they are "sailing" in the snow.

I reckon snowkiting is a cunning way of getting back up the hill with the snowboard ....

without having to purchase a lift-ticket.

But what would I know about the alpine regions, I live in the wild west.

Meanwhile, back to the summer heat and the surf zone,,,

You know, kiting IS sailing ....

except you don't need all that other stuff,

like triangles of cloth, masts, extensions, booms, and dorky helmet-cams.

But kiters do require wind,

about the same strength that poleys chase.

And in the waves, the two sports are pretty much same same ...

but different.

lol.

Dean 424

NSW

440 posts

12 Mar 2015 1:26pm

Not really into kiting as I like to be able to go out when it suits me and not rely on anyone plus not that keen on the big swim. Regarding wind though, a kite is flying about 25m above sea level. The wind speed on the bridge of a ship for example can be say 22 knots (which is anywhere between 25 and 60m above the water) and when I look at the water it is about 12 knots.

flyingcab

VIC

942 posts

12 Mar 2015 4:13pm

Why do you need to rely on people to kite? Are you not strong enough to inflate one?

sboardcrazy

NSW

8292 posts

12 Mar 2015 4:26pm

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flyingcab said..
Why do you need to rely on people to kite? Are you not strong enough to inflate one?

Don't you need someone to help launch or is that only for beginners?

Freddofrog

522 posts

12 Mar 2015 4:25pm

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sboardcrazy said..

flyingcab said..
Why do you need to rely on people to kite? Are you not strong enough to inflate one?

Don't you need someone to help launch or is that only for beginners?

Mainly beginners but a second pair of hands does make it safer whenlaunching and landing in trick spots, eg lots of trees.

Dean 424

NSW

440 posts

12 Mar 2015 9:34pm

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flyingcab said..
Why do you need to rely on people to kite? Are you not strong enough to inflate one?

Thanks for that flying cab. Do you always play the man and not the ball. If you read the second part I was pointing out a major advantage of kiting. ADD maybe?

xoff

QLD

99 posts

12 Mar 2015 11:55pm

Advantages. Each to their own and all that, but everyone knows which is better

philn

1080 posts

13 Mar 2015 5:37am

StormHI,

Naish and Hawaiian Watersports, both in Kailua, are the only windsurfing shops left on the island.

Moks is ok at high tide, or if you stay near the channel like most of the other windsurfers. If you get a quad wave board the deepest fins are probably 15 cm so not as many reef scrapes as the old 25 cm single fins.

I've had boards shipped over from Maui for $50 so that is also an option.

evlPanda

NSW

9207 posts

13 Mar 2015 3:10pm

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Freddofrog said..
Sorry I meant aerobic fittness.

Especially with a harness, both sports do sweet FA to increase your heart rate or exercise your lungs. Compared to say cycling or running, when was the last time you jumped of your board with your heart pounding and gasping for air (apart from getting dumped). Doesn't happen, even when wavesailing. Yes your muscles may be sore and tired but that doesn't mean you are getting (aerobically) fit.

It's not an aerobic sport but I'm comparing it to my other sport where your shins get smashed and you need to sit down, or puke, at the end of a session.
It does do something though that I really like. It's a strength workout I guess. Feels good the next day.

I disagree with the wavesailing part though. People have drowned. That's as aerobic a workout as you'll get.
I've been caught inside a couple times and just getting the rig into waterstart position, to be smashed by another wave, repeat a few times, is exhausting. Totally.

And don't tell me carrying gear 300m up a beach doesn't tire you out.

cammd

QLD

4331 posts

13 Mar 2015 2:29pm

Try racing Formula if you want an aerobic workout, and pretty sure RSX athelete's are in the top 10% fittest of all Olympic athelete's

kat75

109 posts

14 Mar 2015 10:56am

Wow this is quite the topic for a debate. Ive decided in the end Id rather learn windsurfing before anything else. Im not the type of person to be defeated easily. It may take longer to learn than kiting and sure its gear is alot more bulky. But I think once learnt properly it will be awesome. I think kiting would be fun but would never hook me in like windsurfing.

JOYRIDER

705 posts

15 Mar 2015 4:35pm

I worked out a few things today!

We windsurf because we can.

kiters kite because they can't windsurf.

pretty simple really

Mastbender

1972 posts

16 Mar 2015 8:58am

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kat75 said..
Wow this is quite the topic for a debate. Ive decided in the end Id rather learn windsurfing before anything else. Im not the type of person to be defeated easily. It may take longer to learn than kiting and sure its gear is alot more bulky. But I think once learnt properly it will be awesome. I think kiting would be fun but would never hook me in like windsurfing.

Exactly, any claim of bulkiness is just looking for a reason, when you're out there planning, there is no sensation of bulkiness, assuming there ever was one to begin with.
You want to stay in shape, for longer in life? Windsurfing takes it hands down.
Ever notice how many out of shape, but good kiters there are? I have, there are many, kinda reminds me of bikers out on the road, it doesn't take that much to handle a motorcycle.

sboardcrazy

NSW

8292 posts

16 Mar 2015 4:28pm

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evlPanda said..

It's not an aerobic sport but I'm comparing it to my other sport where your shins get smashed and you need to sit down, or puke, at the end of a session.
It does do something though that I really like. It's a strength workout I guess. Feels good the next day.

I disagree with the wavesailing part though. People have drowned. That's as aerobic a workout as you'll get.
I've been caught inside a couple times and just getting the rig into waterstart position, to be smashed by another wave, repeat a few times, is exhausting. Totally.

And don't tell me carrying gear 300m up a beach doesn't tire you out.

+1!

sboardcrazy

NSW

8292 posts

16 Mar 2015 4:29pm

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Mastbender said..

Exactly, any claim of bulkiness is just looking for a reason, when you're out there planning, there is no sensation of bulkiness, assuming there ever was one to begin with.
You want to stay in shape, for longer in life? Windsurfing takes it hands down.
Ever notice how many out of shape, but good kiters there are? I have, there are many, kinda reminds me of bikers out on the road, it doesn't take that much to handle a motorcycle.

Best way I have found to lose weight , trim down and muscle up..

flyingcab

VIC

942 posts

17 Mar 2015 9:36am

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Freddofrog said..

cammd said..
I wouldn't argue that the big kites get going a little bit sooner in the really light stuff but its a couple of knots at best and then they risk dropping out of the sky in a lull. Saw it happen at Sail Brisbane a couple of years ago, massive kites managed to sail out then the whole fleet had to get rescued because once they fell out of the sky in a lull they couldn't relaunch. Whereas on the formula it was a simple matter of waiting for a small gust to get back on the plane and even if it didn't come I could still get back under my own power.

Windsurfing doesn't have to be on the plane the whole time either, happily go for a sail in 5knts, you don't see many kiters in those conditions. Anyway its just an observation, where I sail I don't see kites coming out in any lighter conditions than windsurfers.

This is true. It's the main reason why kiters are taught not to kite in offshore conditions (unless you have a backup boat). If the wind drops you will be in the poo.

That is why the foil was invented...

petermac33

6415 posts

18 Mar 2015 2:24am

Today at Melville the wind was averaging around 11 knots.

Gusts to 13 possibly 14 and the lulls around 9.

On my 122 slalom board and 7 metre had a terrible day.

And I was one of the few who managed to get going a few times!

In this range of wind,the sport of windsurfing is not that good.

It can also become quite physical too,on and off the plane all the time.

The kiters were not going well either.

For both sports the bottom line is.........don't try and make the sport work in light air.

Has to be averaging minimum 12 knots to have a reasonable day,but i need 14 knots average to really make the trip worthwhile.

joe windsurf

1482 posts

18 Mar 2015 6:37am

the root of windsurfing was longboarding
with a KONA, DIV II, Mistral Equipe, Fanatic CAT and even BIC Dufour 11 knots of wind is amble !!!
go back to the roots and have fun no matter what

terminal

1421 posts

18 Mar 2015 6:44pm

The kite for sure is 12m - which is not a big kite nowadays.

Even ignoring the numbers, it's still impressive.

joe windsurf

1482 posts

18 Mar 2015 7:02pm

you want action in NO wind ?

how's this ??

sorry, still kiting - and not windsurfing

mineral1

4564 posts

18 Mar 2015 7:08pm

^^^^
Terminal, not your fault, but that has to be worst video clip of a product---ever

Takes over a minute of a 3.04 clip before he even hits the water, with no close up of the foil design or workings

We all know how it looks pumping up a kite, then all we get is distance shots, and the clip end around the 2.43 minute mark.

flyingcab

VIC

942 posts

18 Mar 2015 10:30pm

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mineral1 said..
^^^^
Terminal, not your fault, but that has to be worst video clip of a product---ever

Takes over a minute of a 3.04 clip before he even hits the water, with no close up of the foil design or workings

We all know how it looks pumping up a kite, then all we get is distance shots, and the clip end around the 2.43 minute mark.

Because when you are testing new designs you definitely want to show everyone a "close up of the foil design or workings"...

terminal

1421 posts

18 Mar 2015 7:59pm

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mineral1 said..
^^^^
Terminal, not your fault, but that has to be worst video clip of a product---ever

Takes over a minute of a 3.04 clip before he even hits the water, with no close up of the foil design or workings

We all know how it looks pumping up a kite, then all we get is distance shots, and the clip end around the 2.43 minute mark.

Taaroa do seem to be a bit secretive about their foils. I think the point was that you can ride with their foil and a 12m kite in very light wind. Skilled race kitefoilders can attain about 3 times the wind speed in board speed.

This is kite foil racing at Townsville last year on kites about 12 to 15m in about 12 knots. You may wanna skip the first 5 minutes to get to the start of the race, but it ends in a photo finish.

joe windsurf

1482 posts

19 Mar 2015 6:21am

nah nah

THIS is kite racing - the type that almost kicked windsurfing out of the Olympics !!!

terminal

1421 posts

19 Mar 2015 4:12pm

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joe windsurf said..
nah nah

THIS is kite racing - the type that almost kicked windsurfing out of the Olympics !!!

Except that almost all the RSX windsurfers have now gone back to RSX and that kite course racing on planing boards has seen a steep decline.

Foil racing is now the high end - and is very high end. The kite foil performance is spectacular, but its not much of a spectacle. Sailing racing generally is not much of a spectacle - especially in the light winds that they usually get for the Olympics.

Windsurf slalom racing is still the best spectacle in wind driven racing water sports.

NotWal

QLD

7435 posts

19 Mar 2015 7:51pm

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joe windsurf said..
you want action in NO wind ?

how's this ??

sorry, still kiting - and not windsurfing

That's freaky! It looks like zero wind on the water but there must be what 8kts? to make that foil work.

Mastbender

1972 posts

20 Mar 2015 2:50am

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joe windsurf said..
nah nah

THIS is kite racing - the type that almost kicked windsurfing out of the Olympics !!!

I'm surprised that they didn't include this clip~

tilldark

QLD

275 posts

20 Mar 2015 10:47am

hmmmm you get to the start doing 25 knots and someones lines come down in front of you 10 people are turned to human confetti ...

But all things being fair kiteboard racing does look bloody rad, the jumpie spinny bits don't really appeal to me (looks like figure ice skating or ballet) but the power, speed and wind range of that race discipline is sweet

Freddofrog

522 posts

20 Mar 2015 12:47pm

haha. Is it wrong I lol at that.

MikeyS

VIC

1509 posts

20 Mar 2015 6:07pm

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Freddofrog said..
haha. Is it wrong I lol at that.

Looks to me like a good entry for the next caption competition.

Does anyone have a copy of the COLREGs?

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